There are a lot of threats to your computer system and your personal security. There are lots and lots of malicious software infections, or malware, that could end up on your computer system. There are many varieties of malware including trojans, worms, adware and viruses. Additionally, many subtypes of each of these malware varieties exist; viruses have many different names for example, like Sality.

There are many ways in which your PC could end up plagued by Sality or another type of malware. The following are just the top 8 ways you could end up with Sality or another infection on your computer. Unfortunately, there are many more ways that you could end up with a parasite on your system.

1.) Downloading on Peer to Peer sites. You won’t definitely end up with a parasite on your system from downloading a file on one of these sites, but infected files are very, very common here.

2.) Downloading free media from unfamiliar sites. There are many unrepeatable sites that spread malware by offering too good to be true media. If a valuable file like a movie or a usually pricy program is being offered on a strange site at no cost, you might not end up with the media, but you could get malware.

3.) Hanging out on shady sites. Sites that offer premium media for free or that are crowded with links and incorrect grammar may not give you malware, but they could.

4.) Downloading unrequested files and programs sent to you. Even if the email is from someone you know, it could just appear to have been sent by them. If the text doesn’t seem like something the sender would write, it probably isn’t.

5.) Clicking strange links in emails. The email may be from a known contact’s address, but a scammer, hacker or bot may have sent it. If the email has no text and only a link, you should be cautious, as clicking it may result in an infection like Sality.

6.) Using infections from flash drives and other disks you get from others. This isn’t as common anymore, but hackers and other criminals can still plant malware on disks and flash drives.

7.) Getting incredibly cheap generic hardware. Again, this isn’t as common of a way for your computer to end up with an infection, but it can happen. If you buy insanely cheap off-brand hardware, there is a chance that it may come with an extra surprise.

8.) Not having antimalware on your system. If you have a product like PCKeeper or another product with protection against viruses and alureon malware on your computer system, you will be able to fend off most parasites, like Sality. If you don’t have security software on your system, you will be even more likely to get an infection.